Saturday, January 14, 2012

When old, must have 3 "LOWs"

One of my girl friends once told me that when we grow old, we will be very blessed if we have all 3 “LOWs” (in Cantonese, "LOW" means OLD). The first “LOW” we must have is our “Low Kung” (husband). Our husband is our companion, someone we can pick on when we become old and grumpy! LOL! (Just kidding). Actually, he is our best friend, the one we trust that we can be ourselves. He is the one we can confide in and rely on to take care of us for the rest of our lives. The second “LOW” is “Low boon” (our savings). This is necessary not for ourselves alone but for those who eventually ended up taking care of us. Our "Low boon" help relieve them from any financial difficulty as a result of taking care of us. The third “LOW” is a VERY important because this “LOW” is one that will keep us sane and brings us lots of joy! That is “Low Pang Yau” (Old friends). One biggest fear of growing old is loneliness but if we have lots of “Low Pang Yau” then we will not feel lonely and isolated. Statistic shows that seniors who are isolated and lonely tend to have more health problems and a poorer quality of life than those who have a good social network of friends and family. I think I have that. Just recently, my friends and I celebrated New Year together at a karaoke joint which belongs to one of my girlfriend's vocal teacher. We had a great time eating till we were stuffed, yakking till our jaws dropped, laughing till our stomachs hurt, singing our hearts out and dancing like no one was watching. We had so much fun and we almost brought the roof down! LOL!

Out of 3 "LOWs", I already have two. My Quay Lo and I are still working very hard to have enough of the 3rd "LOW" so that we can both retire in the near future.

My 1st LOW, my Quay Lo "Low Kung"

Here are some of my second “LOWs”, my wonderful “LOW PANG YAU” (old friends). We celebrated the New Year with a BANG!

I brought with me some food to share with them and one of them is a pasta salad. The karaoke place was dark and I could not take a nice picture of the salad. I guess I was too excited to go off to have fun and I forgot to take a photo at home too. I have made this salad before with same pasta but different other ingredients. They both tasted pretty much the same. I will share with you the recipe of one I made earlier which I have photos. There you go.

Wheat pasta salad with herb vinaigrette dressing

Ingredients for salad:

2 cups of wheat pasta of your choice

1 can garbanzo beans

1 cup pomegranate seeds

½ cup diced cucumber without seeds removed

2 slices of bacon, fried, and brokenshave parmesan cheese

water with salt

Method:

Bring water with added sea salt to boil and cook pasta for 9 mins till al dante. Drain pasta and set aside. Add in garbanzo beans, diced cucumber and pomegranate seeds. Put in the fridge and chill for 1 hour. Pour herb vinaigrette dressing over and toss to mix well. Serve warm or cold with shave parmesan cheese.

Ingredients for herb vinaigrette dressing:

½ cup white wine vinegar

dash of salt and pepper

½ cup fresh basil

¼ cup rosemary leaves

2 cloves garlic

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:

In a blender add white wine vinegar, dash of salt and pepper, basil and rosemary and blend for 10 to 15 seconds. Add 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil and blend for another 10 to 15 mins.

29 comments:

May I just correct you on this one .... you have 4 "Lows". You forgot, you also have your Quay "Low" who pampers you to no end. :D Bonus!Oooh, bacon! I love the sound of the salad except maybe for the pomegranate seeds. Don't get me wrong, I love pomegranate, on it's own or as a juice but I could never understand how the seeds could be eaten in a salad, cake, etc. I mean, the seeds are so fibrous, it would have been equivalent to the fibres of a small piece of cardboard if I were to swallow everything from just one fruit. Sorry, I guess it's just me who's strange in my opinions since I haven't heard of anyone having that same opinion as me. Oh well ... I'm sure the tangy sweetness goes well tho.

Pomegranate is a very expensive fruit. Opps, would it be too rude to mention the price since you made the salad to your dear friends, hahaha!

Have you noticed that all the ladies were wearing black & white clothes? Was that the colour theme for that special occasion? The last time I went for a karaoke session was when I was working in S'pore.

@Baby SumoGood, smile more, and you will always stay young and pretty.

@Jessiehaha you can talk about price with me all day long. Yes, the pomegranate is very expensive here too. We all were black and white because the organizer of the party said that is the theme. No special occasion, just for fun.

You have lots of good friends and they are lovely ladies! I haven't gone to KTV for a long time! Sounds like you had a great time! Pasta salad is always a big hit in my house (kids don't consider it's "salad")...heehee.

@missyblurkitYou said the same thing a Ping. Yes I guess I have an extra Low then:D

@DianeSame here, we are worry of the inflation too.

@CCYes, wish you will have all 3 Lows and more.

@NamiYes, I have many good friends and they are all beautiful people. I am sure the kids don't think they are salad, to them, it is pasta but then it is a good way to get the kids to eat some vegetables as well since there are plenty in this pasta salad. LOL!

@LyndseyThanks Lyndsey. Hehe, you know lah, old lady almost reaching 60, gone through so much over the years, got lots of stories to tell. Hope I am not being long winded. hehe.. No worries about not liking the pomegranate seeds, I love frank opinion. Hugs

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Before I was married to my "Quay Lo" (Guaylo) husband, I did not know how to bake or cook. Subsequently I learned some baking and cooking Western cuisine from him, and providing his food for him launched an interest in cooking in general. Many of my Chinese friends and family told me that "Quay" is the wrong spelling for devil in Cantonese. The right spelling should be "Kwai" or "Guay". Well, somehow I like the spelling "Quay" better although I have to agree that it does not sound very Cantonese. Try asking a Westerner to pronounce "Kwai" and you will probably hear "Quay" haha. Whether is "Quay" or "Kwai" or "Guay, just know the devil woman is me when you see Quay Po Cooks. My hubby said if people pronounce "Quay" as "Key" is even better because I am the key to his heart. LOL!

Only now, have I started to learn the traditional Cantonese cuisine of my Mum. She cooks fabulously and all her specialties are divine. These two interests, my husband's Western food, and my mother's traditional food, prompted me to document them so they will not be lost.

Here, I wish to share my cooking and baking experience with my readers. I also hope to inspire those who do not know how to cook or bake to do so because, trust me, if I can, you can too.

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